Australian Frontier Wars, 1788-1838 by John Connor

Author:John Connor
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNSW Press
Published: 2011-06-22T16:00:00+00:00

MAP 6.2 The ‘Black Line’, 1830

SOURCE British Parliamentary Papers, Colonies, Australia, Irish University Press, Shannon, Ireland, 1968-70, 4.

The daily ration for a man on the ‘Black Line’ was 2 pounds (900 g) of flour, 1½ pounds (680 g) of meat, 3 ounces (85 g) of sugar and half an ounce (15 g) of tea.71 Each man commenced the operation carrying only one week’s ration, so it was vital that they reached the first line of ration stations before their food ran out. The carts carrying supplies to the stations began their journey on the day the Line commenced, to ensure that the depots would be stocked in time for the men’s arrival. Tea and sugar came from Commissariat stocks, while the assistant surveyors purchased flour and meat from local farmers and organised its transport to the ration stations.72

Despite having to hack their way through rugged, unexplored country, most parties reached their rendezvous points weary but in good humour. The rough going meant, however, that many of the men’s shoes had already begun to wear out. Arthur ordered the Commissariat to urgently provide several hundred shoes from the stores in Hobart and Oatlands. Anticipating that this demand for shoes would continue for the remainder of the operation, Affleck Moodie, the chief commissary officer in Hobart, placed a tender on 16 October for 2000 extra pairs, while George Hill, the commissary officer in Launceston, the colony’s second main centre, bought ‘all the Shoes in Launceston’, about 800 pairs at ten shillings each .73

The Line continued to advance, and on 20 October the Northern and Western Divisions joined, forming a continuous cordon for the first time. After a halt on the 22nd to allow stragglers to catch up, the Line moved forward again until, on 24 October, the force had concentrated on a 30-mile (50 km) front. Arthur then ordered another halt, this time due to torrential rain. During this pause Arthur sent patrols forward to look for Aborigines which he believed were being driven ahead of the Line. One of these civilian patrols led by Edward Walpole found a camp of Big River and Oyster Bay people, and at dawn on 25 October tried to capture them. In the ensuing skirmish, the settlers killed two and captured a man and a boy named Ronekeennarener and Tremebonenerp. The other Aborigines escaped through the Line. 74 Arthur later claimed that Walpole should not have tried to seize the Aborigines, but McMahon has shown that Arthur had indeed sent the patrols forward to effect a capture and that Arthur’s charge against Walpole was an attempt after the event to find a scapegoat for the Line’s failure. 75 The rain continued, making the forward movement of men and supplies over rough bush tracks impossible. Arthur was forced to halt for three weeks and during this time ordered extra sentries and dogs and the construction of fences and obstacles in an attempt to strengthen the perimeter and prevent further break-outs.76 The rain, however, did not prevent the arrival of the ship Tamar at Prosser’s Bay to resupply the Line’s eastern flank.

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